The demographic changes taking place in society have serious economic and social implications, and hence cannot be ignored. More importantly, it is an absolute imperative to duly recognize the contribution of the senior citizens to not just the society but also to the economy. As populations age, we have to generate more funds to pay pensions to a growing number of people, while at the same time there are proportionally less people going to work. Hence proper planning to be able to deal with ageing is essential. And because we are facing the same issue in the EU, we are trying to assist Southeast Asian region with our experience in this matter, to help them deal with the situation the best they can, said Pons.
Sharing some of the outcomes of the project, EU's Jerome Pons elaborated that the project has facilitated network capacity building by bringing together various networks in the 6 countries to "not only share their experiences, lessons learnt, and challenges faced at the level of their programmes, but to also come out with suggestions/solutions to deal with these issues in their respective countries."
Reforms for supportive legal policy framework
HelpAge EAPRO, the main implementing partner, has guided and managed this process in developing the networks of partners in the 6 target countries. This has been one of the key sustainable achievements of the programme in terms of building capacities of these civil society organizations (CSOs), which have now become competent enough to work on their own, he said. Pons pointed out that these CSOs have also been acting as feedback loops in their respective countries for policies developed by their governments, approved by their parliaments and implemented by their administrations. They have provided inputs for bringing in new legislation or revising/ improving upon existing legislation.
For example, in Myanmar the President has signed a new law on ageing; the Cambodian government is considering to provide free healthcare to all above 60; in Philippines the budget for social pension has been increased drastically. Vietnam's Prime Minister has approved funding for increasing the number of Intergenerational Self Help Clubs to 3200 by 2030. Pons rightly believes that Old People's Associations or clubs are important, as they are effective channels to deal with the increasing isolation experienced by the elderly, especially those living in urban areas. These clubs help the aged to interact with other people in similar situations, and to make their voices heard by policy makers and implementers.
Female face of ageing?
As life expectancy of women is statistically and significantly longer than that of men, they are likely to face hardships of old age for a longer period of time. This is something that needs to be addressed. It is about the rights of the women - their right to inherit parental property, their right to have legal hold over husband's property after his death (rather than his money going to the children) - so that they can continue living their life comfortably till its natural end, emphasised Jerome Pons.
Agenda 2030 and ageing: Connecting the dots!
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